Cremation doesn’t burn everything to ash. Pieces of bone are left intact and must be mechanically pulverized to make the remains a powder.

When my dad’s dog was cremated many years ago, the remains they gave us were partially ash, but the larger pieces hadn’t been pulverized. It still had many intact pieces of bone. We could see evidence of some injuries and degenerative disease the dog had experienced in his hip and spine.

I’m not sure how many people would be down for rooting through their pet’s remains for proof that it is the right animal.